Bristol City 1 Barnsley 0: Gerhard Struber disappointed after conceding late on

Barnsley manager Gerhard Struber before the Sky Bet Championship match at Pride Park, Derby. PA Photo. Picture date: Thursday January 2, 2020. See PA story SOCCER Derby. Photo credit should read: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

The Reds were sunk by an 87th-minute strike by Niclas Eliasson, which gave Bristol City, managed by former boss Lee Johnson, the three points.

But their biggest crime at Ashton Gate was not being able to put the ball in the back of the net as they wasted several chances to move out of the relegation zone.

For the most part of the season it has the defence that has let Barnsley down, but Struber was impressed with his side's performance.

“It was a very disappointing defeat and a very disappointing moment for me and my players,” he said.

“I was pleased with the performance and, especially in the second half, we created a lot of chances.

“We were not in the same killer mood as in recent games.

“But I believe that if we continue to play that way we will get the results we need to stay in this league.

“Our defending was synchronised and we created many chances.

“We were clear in expecting a lot of long balls and were aggressive as well as clever.

“Sometimes we were not as clear with our final pass.

“When you have so many good situations to score a goal and don’t do so it can mean an unnecessary defeat.”

A wide open first half brought plenty of opportunities for both teams. City were denied by the woodwork after 10 minutes when Josh Brownhill challenged for an Eliasson corner and the ball struck the crossbar.

Conor Chaplin was lively for Barnsley and had two shots blocked whilst home stopper Dan Bentley reacted well to keep out a shot from Alex Mowatt.

Chaplin's shot following a Mowatt corner was kept out by the combined efforts of Bentley and Andreas Weimann as Barnsley continued to attack with menace.

City hit the crossbar again through Williams' near-post header, with Barnsley keeper Brad Collins getting a touch.

Barnsley also hit the crossbar through Marcel Ritzmaier.

At times it seemed neither side wanted to score but after Mowatt fired just wide, Barnsley were made to pay for the lack of a finishing touch when Eliasson broke their hearts.